


the green envelope

by dizzy



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, non-youtubers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23237596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: Dan braves the rain to surprise his boyfriend.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 22
Kudos: 191
Collections: phandomficfests: escape from reality





	the green envelope

It's the perfect day to stay home. 

The London skies are dark and overcast, pelting down rain for hours on end. It's a day for sleeping in between warmed sheets and having a cup of coffee and enjoying the ambiance with a wall between himself and the world. 

But Dan's not at home. He's sat shivering at the dampness he only just escaped from, letting the tube take him to the only place that could lure him out of his flat. 

*

It's somehow raining harder when he steps out. He catches his reflection in a shop mirror. His jacket is white and a foggy kind of transparent, bulging oddly between his shoulders where he's got his backpack on underneath it. 

It only takes him a couple of minutes to make it to the bakery, pushing the heavy door open and stepping into a daydream of fresh baked bread scents and warmth. 

"'lo there," the woman behind the counter says, looking up from her book. 

There's no one else in the shop. He's ruining her nice stretch of uninterrupted time. Part of him feels sorry, part of him just wants at least three of those fresh croissants in his body stat. 

He places his order - two breakfast sandwiches made with those tempting croissants, and then two muffins as well - then carefully removes his dripping rain coat so he can put the food in there, leaving his hands free for the coffees he orders. 

He has to steel himself at the door, sucking a deep breath before he plunges himself back into the downpour. 

*

The bookstore is the most welcome sight in the world. 

He doesn't even know why Phil opened today. No one's going to be there. 

Maybe Phil just doesn't like to be home alone during the storm. He'll have to ask. 

As much as they've discovered that they have a world of things in common, the differences are somehow even more fascinating. They're both introverts, but Phil has a certain perpetual craving for connection with at least one other person that Dan doesn't have. 

Usually, at least. He's found this one exception recently. 

He steps inside. The ring of the bell echoes throughout the old shop. 

"Hello, welcome to the Green Envelope- oh, Dan!" Phil stops in the doorway between the front room and one of the side rooms, his face lighting up. "You're drenched! What are you doing here? Is that coffee?" 

Phil steps forward and takes the coffee, putting it on the counter besides the register. He waits while Dan struggles out of his jacket and hangs it on the hook by the front door. It rests beside Phil's, the sleeves brushing. Phil's been here long enough that his isn't even wet anymore. 

As soon as Dan is clear of it, Phil's moving back into his space and leaning in for a kiss. 

It makes Dan's heart hammer hard but he doesn't shy away from it. 

*

"I can't believe you brought me breakfast," Phil says, biting into his sandwich. Egg and bacon, no cheese. 

Dan's has no cheese either. The one time he ordered pasta with cheese on, Phil wouldn't kiss him goodnight at the end of the date. He doesn't fancy a second round of being sent away kiss-less. 

"I'm a good boyfriend," Dan says. 

There's no one else in the shop, he now knows, and that makes it easier to say so casually. 

"You are." Phil looks at him with clear blue eyes, warm and full of fondness. 

Dan looks down at his sandwich again. Sometimes he doesn't know what to say when Phil has that sort of expression on his face. It feels like too much and like every good dream Dan's ever dared to have come true. 

He's quite liking this boyfriend thing, all told. He doesn't know why he waited until he was twenty eight to try it. 

*

The room they're in is Dan's favorite in the whole bookshop. It's close enough to the front that Phil can hear if someone comes in but it has a big chair, almost a loveseat, with an ottoman. The cushions are overstuffed and the fact that they can both fit into it makes Dan feel like something small and cozy. 

It's also the room with all of the queer books, the collection Phil's put the most time and effort into. He says he doesn't want the shop to only be known as a gay bookstore but he very much wants it to be a bookstore that other queer people feel comfortable in. The room makes Dan feel the same way that Phil himself does - safe and like he belongs. 

The last time they sat in this room together like this, Phil fell asleep. Dan remembers it - some time between their fourth and fifth date, back when they were still dancing around exclusivity and trying to pretend like whatever was between them wasn't exploding so fantastically fast that they couldn't imagine life without each other anymore. 

Phil yawns so loud his jaw makes a popping sound, as if Dan's memory itself has a soporific effect on him. "When do you have to leave?" 

"Don't," Dan says. "No work today." 

He's never been so glad to have swapped shifts with someone else a week ago. 

"So you can stay?" Phil sinks lower into the chair, socked feet up on the ottoman. His toes nudge against Dan's. 

"I can stay," Dan says, and turns his head toward Phil, kissing where he can reach on Phil's jaw. "Are you going to take a nap?" 

"No," Phil protests, then yawns again. "Maybe. But you'll stay anyway." 

"Yeah." Dan reaches down and picks up Phil's hand, sliding their fingers together. "I'll wake you up if someone comes in." 

"Best boyfriend," Phil mumbles again. 

Dan secretly suspects that Phil likes saying it just as much as Dan likes hearing it. 

He's just fine with that.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks sarah for the idea <3
> 
> [read and reblog on tumblr](https://alittledizzy.tumblr.com/post/613156614040698880/the-green-envelope-danphil-rated-t-980-words)


End file.
